September Eve

The months are sliding by, bleeding into one another in shades of color, amazing me with their quickness. I am aware of changing seasons, lengthening limbs and growing minds. I'm torn between being appreciative and satisfied with what I have and with believing I must dream and want for more.

I'm fine.

Here's a rare snap of me and my babies. I use the term with endearment. It does not escape me that my babies are growing up. One day, God willing, they will all be taller than me.

I'll be their little momma. I'll be wrinkled, peaceful and happy. Maybe I'll be a best-selling author. I'll mentor whoever lets me. In short, I'll be me, but to borrow from the PBS slogan, I'll "be more."

Tonight, on this September eve, at this moment in time, I am sated. This day has been full; I have lived it well. My children are all asleep, my hubby is watching a strange, artsy movie on TV (but in the kitchen now for his snack), and I'm running my typical communication headquarters from my cozy corner of the couch with a hot cocoa on deck. As Lucas grows up a little, I am starting to incorporate more of the nonessential but enjoyable activities into my everyday life. I am tying on my running shoes everyday, whether I run, walk on my lunch break, or simply wear them on marathon grocery shopping trips with two babies assisting. It's the reminder I need to make an effort to move in the right ways to feel better. After I post this blog, I'm going to see about getting some long-overdue prints ordered. I'm going to remember to kiss my husband more.

And I'm going to get to bed, ASAP, I promise. Ha. I won't get enough sleep tonight, just as I haven't for many, many nights running. But September will come all the same. And then it will go. And the months will file past in turn. I'll be here through them all, loving and nurturing and thinking and dreaming and writing and walking and living.

Happy September Eve.

Hitting the Brakes

I have been absolutely clobbered by how fast life seems to be going lately. My little girl, who will be seven in a couple of weeks, is less than a foot shorter than me! And I'm not short. Max is becoming a little man and teaching me the names of farm machinery we see working in fields as we hurtle down the highway in the Mommy-mobile, which always has someplace to be ten minutes ago. Colby is trying to master the English language, but so far only has "dada," "mama" and "puppy" down pat. He is working on saying "Lily," which sounds more like "Yiyi."

And every time I look at the calendar, I do a double take. October 20th already. (It's actually a very cool date: 10.20.2010.) I'm determined that life won't be what happens when I'm making other plans, as the saying goes. I'm loving fall, planning a birthday party and reveling in the anticipation of my three favorite holidays--Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas--all lined up in a row, like the gifts they are.

And I'm taking time for photos like these. I'm sharing them and bragging on how cute these little people are. And, finally, I'm starting to picture that puffy, perfect, gorgeous face of the newborn I'll welcome this winter.

In spite of it all--the long days at work, the endless sibling squabbles, the awkward carries of toddler, belly and bags from the grocery store--I am so GLAD. I mean it, truly, when I say to my children, my reasons: You are worth it all.





Peace to you and yours.

Time Marches On

I snapped these photos of the kids last fall. While we're still not quite to this stage of crisp air and fallen leaves, I feel it coming soon. These three are all a year older and less innocent, and we have another one on the way.

Speaking of the baby, I have begun to feel my flutters! On Tuesday, while eating lunch at the counter in a Chinese restaurant by myself, I felt a ballet of movements very low in my belly and realized, Hey, that's the little one. I looked around and was tempted to tell the stranger to my left, a woman who probably would have reacted happily, but convinced myself not to blab. I'm trying to get better about not sharing random information with strangers.

Again tonight, I felt those flutters. Hello in there! We're actually hoping to find out, via ultrasound, what we are having later this month. This will be the first time we've ruined that delivery room surprise, but I'm excited to know early!

As for the kids who are out and about, Lily got a burn on Sunday after touching the pressure washer Shrek was using on the decks. It was tough; she cried and screamed off and on for three hours. But I've deemed the burns second-degree, have been taking great care of them all week, and think they look like they are healing well.

Mr. Max had preschool orientation last night. This morning, he made my day on the way to the sitter's when he said, "Hey Mommy. Did you know some busses don't have noses? Some busses' noses are squished!"

Finally, Colby has a cold or something, which we'll diagnose at his check-up in the morning. But he's a happy, happy guy most of the time!

So, time marches on. As the song goes, everything changes, everything cha-e-an-ges.......